Date: 2017-05-22

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Mr. Femi Falana at the weekend called on the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to stop opposing the establishment of Islamic Banking in the country, saying both Christian and Islamic scriptures preach against interest charges.

Speaking in Ilorin, Kwara state, during a colloquium organised by the Movement for Genuine Change, Falana called for the resuscitation of the Peoples' Bank to give loans to indigent citizens, who could not access loans in commercial banks, in order to cushion the effect of the economic recession.

In his paper titled: "Politics, Leadership and Accountability: The Role of the People", Falana said Nigerians must always resist the temptation by leaders to divide them along religion and ethnic lines to achieve certain vested interests saying ''whatever that is good from both sides (religion) should be embraced''. "The Islamic Bank and others, which are not going to charge interests, should be established. It will give commercial banks serious challenge and they will to come down on their exorbitant rate charges.

"In addition, the federal government should spend the fund recovered from corrupt public officers and their privies on job creation and fixing of hospitals and schools as well as the funding of other social services.

"It has to be pointed out that the economy of the country cannot be transformed in favour of Nigeria on the basis of the dangerous prescriptions of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. "Nigerians should, therefore, be prepared to challenge the recycled neo-liberal managers of the economy who continue to insist on the dominance of market forces, which have been discredited by the crisis of global capitalism" Falana said.

On the 2017 budget, the Lagos based lawyer asked the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo not sign an altered document saying it was illegal for the National Assembly to increase the 2017 budget.

Falana said the National Assembly lacked the constitutional powers to increase the budget presented by the president even as he said that President Muhammadu Buhari cannot exercise his powers while on vacation, having handed over to Osinbajo.

He said: "The President is not competent to sign any bill into law while he is on vacation. The constitution did not envisage that a President who is on a vacation and an acting president, who is standing proxy for him will be exercising presidential powers simultaneously.

"To that extent, pending the resumption of duties by President Buhari, the Acting President, Prof. Osinbajo, is competent to sign all bills validly passed by the NASS.

"We are, therefore, calling on the Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who is a professor of law not to endorse and sign the illegal appropriation bill of 2017 into law."